Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Marriage and Commitment






On the subject of Marriage and commitment, as it specifically relates to God's law;


       I see more and more each day, a movement that embraces anything that attempts to negate, denounce, or neutralize God's authority.  Christianity is under fire more now than ever before due to influences within and without.  As with any ideology, mantra, philosophy, or religion, there is and will always be those participants (real-but misguided/ mistaken or those that are false), whose very actions or statements bring derision upon the group in its entirety.  The very misguided or wrongful actions and statements of a few are used as weapons and justifications for those who chose not to embrace God or His son, Yeshua (Jesus, Joshua). 
      
       The opponents of God and Christianity, call themselves all sorts of names.  Regardless of whether they are trying to justify their own choices, or discredit the beliefs of true Christians, the opponents of God find the same misguided actions of a few to be effective and useful weapons to utilize in their  declared or undeclared war against God and Christianity.   Moreover, if retaliated against with the same methods, by Christians, (utilizing a few examples to generalize the many,) one has to or would be sure to recognize that these opponents of God would scream about how unfair it is to argue using generalizations.


       As for those who call themselves Atheists, they must surely claim to not believe in the devil.  Since they denounce God as real, then it stands to reason that they would not recognize an other worldly enemy of God, as well.  For, if they were to recognize Satan, then they would have to take the next logical step and admit that God exists as well.  This action would demand that they make a choice other than what they had previously made.  They might proclaim that they have never had any personal influence from the devil.  They would most certainly be correct, as far as they know.  However, as far as Satan is concerned, the Atheists are really no concern to him.  He has already won that battle, and therefore must concentrate his efforts in other more "necessary" directions.

         The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, (paraphrasing) that the war for our souls was one of a Spiritual nature.  There are forces at work that are beyond our ability to see, yet they continue to fight over our dominion.  We saw how sly the devil was in the garden of Eden.  He convinced Eve that she could be like God, if only she ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  She listened.  She acted.  Then, she influenced Adam to follow her.  Her actions were in direct opposition to God, with the devil whispering in her ear.  She wanted to be God.  She wanted to have the final say in what she could do, when she could do it, and with whom she could do it with, without judgment.

       When I see people write about, or hear them talk about, things like marriage being old fashioned, or generalizing Christians as (I paraphrase to keep this tome short) "moral idiots."  I am quick to remind myself that this fast paced world of "Have it your way", was not brought upon us by mere convenience.  Yes, convenience is another "catch word" that is significant, in a very sly, scheming way, to the anti-God movement, whether that movement realizes it or not.  Convenience isn't just the store on the corner... although it falls lockstep into the ideology of "Have it your way" as well.  We expect our food handed to us through a drive through window in seconds, the light at the intersection to turn the moment just before we arrive there, the lines in the stores to be empty the moment we go to make our purchases, and the preachers in the pulpit to pat us on the head and say, "Go on ahead  and keep doing the things that you are doing, even though we used to call it sin, because It's okay, because we are not to judge, nor should God!"  The reprobates of this world want to justify their sinful nature and be allowed to do anything they want, with anybody they want, at any time they want, in any place that they want.

       The anti-God movement wants, not to be judged, but rather to be accepted, to be considered normal.  Am I correct?  They want to go on, regardless of what they are doing, unencumbered by any semblance of  a moral compass.  In fact, they want their compasses to be amoral.  They want to be regarded as normal, despite how abnormal their behavior is or how totally against the laws of nature their actions are, and certainly beyond question, no matter how much of an affront to God's law their actions have become.

        The marriage contract is more than a piece of paper.   Even so, the piece of paper makes it completely legal.  It is more than a willfulness of two hearts that want to cohabitate.  It is a contract, that states that by the laws of man I will honor the woman I have chosen to marry, as I obey those laws.  It is my vows taken upon the altar before God and witnesses, that states that by the laws of God I will honor my wife in this marriage, as I obey God, as I am a man marrying a woman.  There is no substitute for that.  Anything else, and you can walk away from your relationship because you simply choose to "Have it your way!"  Anything else is simply a matter of convenience.  Anything else allows for all sorts of behavior to be viewed as normal, and unaccountable.  Anything else is contrary to the laws of God.  The truth is, we should flee from "anything else."  We are accountable to man's laws, and even more so, we are accountable by God's laws.  If it were not for the grace given through the sacrifice of the blood of Yeshua (Jesus, Joshua), we would never be able to make things right in the eyes of God.  We should surrender our souls to Yeshua(Jesus, Joshua).  We should pray for forgiveness and ask for an anointing of the Holy Spirit.  We should embrace the one true all powerful, all knowing, omniscient God.  We should follow his son, Yeshua(Jesus, Joshua), as we are commanded in the bible.

        I challenge you to make the decision to either choose to serve and honor God once and for all, repenting of your sins, or to turn away from Him, completely. 

  The choice is yours.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Genesis 1

Bible Text courtesy of biblegateway.com .

Genesis 1New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was [a]formless and void, and darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was [c]moving over the [d]surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Then God said, “Let there be [e]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the [f]expanse, and separated the waters which were below the [g]expanse from the waters which were above the [h]expanse; and it was so. God called the [i]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [j]vegetation, [k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [l]their kind [m]with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth [n]vegetation, [o]plants yielding seed after [p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [q]with seed in them, after [r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 Then God said, “Let there be [s]lights in the [t]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for [u]lights in the [v]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two [w]great lights, the greater [x]light [y]to govern the day, and the lesser [z]light [aa]to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the [ab]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and [ac]to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters [ad]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ae]in the open [af]expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ag]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [ah]their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after [ai]their kind, and the cattle after [aj]their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ak]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [al]sky and over every living thing that [am]moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [an]surface of all the earth, and every tree [ao]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the [ap]sky and to every thing that [aq]moves on the earth [ar]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Greetings!


Many times I have read this passage.  I cannot count how many times I have read a particular set of scriptures in the bible, and yet have something I never noticed before pop right out at me.  This is no different.

In 6 days, God created the heavens and the earth, and seeded the earth with fruit bearing trees and green plants to feed the animals of the earth.  He also created man and woman, commanding them to multiple over the whole earth. 
 
What I find interesting is that it is not until Genesis 2, that we are introduced to Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden. 

SO, I ponder... did God populate the entire earth with plants, animals, and mankind prior to creating Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden?

Something to think about...


Have a blessed day!

Monday, January 4, 2016

Beware of false teachers!


*******UPDATED 1/7/16*******

Greetings All!

Consider the following:


NIV
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

2 Peter 2
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. ...

1 Thessalonians 5

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

The above is courtesy of https://www.biblegateway.com/


I wanted to start of this message with a few words from the Holy Bible.  This hardly is enough. 

My heart is heavy with concern for a minister of God's word whom I  have never met.  I have had the privilege to hear him speak on the radio via the internet.  More often than not, after listening to him, I find myself considering carefully what was conveyed and go to God in prayer.  Nothing he has spoken of has given me pause to doubt that he truly believes what he is imparting.  It is my belief that he takes his ministry and his calling seriously and is very careful to teach only from a biblical standpoint. 

Recently, he has pointed out the New Age teachings of an individual who calls himself a Christian.  I'm going to say this bluntly.  If you are teaching new age ideas and trying to infuse them into Christianity, but claim that you didn't realize what you were doing, STOP AND REPENT IMMEDIATELY.  Once someone points out the obvious to you... perhaps the best thing would be if you simply wouldn't teach at all.  Furthermore, you should very humbly admit your mistake and apologize and ask for forgiveness for teaching false doctrines.

*******
UPDATED VERSION:

I previously mentioned a minister whose name and website, I shall withhold.  Let my say this. 
I have prayed about this situation.  I asked God to give me an answer.  I believe that I got that answer tonight in a big way.  Now, after prayer, and consideration, plus some research, I have come to the conclusion that there are a number of wolves out there parading around in sheep's clothing.  I have decided to retract my message of helping this person out.  You must go to God in prayer and carefully consider whether or not helping any ministry is the right thing to do.  I believe that God will make it abundantly clear to you what you are supposed to do.  Tithing is important.  Just be wise about it.

  I did not intend to mislead anyone.  I honestly thought I was doing the right thing.  Consider very carefully what you believe when you listen to people who call themselves watchmen.  I stand by God's word, and God's word only.   

******* END OF UPDATE
I would say more, but I think the word of God has already done a better job in just a few short verses quoted from the scriptures. 

As promised, I will soon begin the "Bible in a Year" blog.  Keep an eye out.  Share if you like. 
Also, above all, test everything.

May God Bless You.